UPDATED: School buses cancelled

The region’s two biggest school boards are cancelling buses for Tuesday, the second day in a row they have kept the buses from running out of concern over extreme cold.

“Due to the continued extreme cold temperatures across the district combined with wind chill values, and out of concern for the safety of students waiting for buses in these extreme weather conditions, all school transportation services for the Upper Canada District School Board are cancelled for Tuesday, January 22,” board officials announced late Monday night.

“All school trips and outdoor activities that had been planned for the day are also cancelled. All schools remain open.”

The Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario also later issued a similar announcement via Twitter.

“Due to continued severe cold across the region, with temperatures in excess of Public Health guidelines, no school transportation services will be offered for Tuesday, January 22, 2019. All CDSBEO schools will remain open,” the Catholic board tweeted.

There was no immediate word from the region’s French Catholic board.

According the Environment Canada, the region remained under an extreme cold warning.

“Temperatures will once again fall to near minus 25 and with light winds, wind chill values are expected to be near minus 35,” Environment Canada officials noted.

While a “milder air mass” was to “begin to move in Tuesday,” the agency still warned of greater risks for “young children, older adults, people with chronic illnesses, people working or exercising outdoors, and those without proper shelter.

“Cover up. Frostbite can develop within minutes on exposed skin, especially with wind chill,” it added.